Rope guide for insuring the unfolding of parachutes



Pateited July 22, 1930 UNITED, STA

TES

KABL THDOR nnnnnnj or HAMBURG, eErivxlr;

" Application fi a October 27, 1928, Serial No.

` Proposals have already been made to prevent the supporting ropes of parachutesfrom entangling or twisting when the parachute is being collapsed in order to be packed up i by passing the lower ends of the ropes u through a ring of either rigid or non-rigid material. The object of said ring is to keep the individual ropes separate or reniote from one another according to the distance of the holes in it from one another, the ropes being,` thus, spread andprevented thereby from entangling and the like. i

Another proposal is this, to substitute for the said ring a circular board and, furthe`r-` 1 more, to provide knots in the ropes above and below said board inorder to prevent this latter froni slding along the ropes.

` I have by experience become convinced of the fact that devices or arrangements of the.

above-mentioned kind are by no means suited for the purposein View; they fulfil their purpose either insufliciently or not at all. Attention must be paid to the decisive point that the entanglements or twistings take place not only near the lower ends of the cords, or, in the whole, at a definite place, but they continue along the ropes, either along the whole length of theni or at' least over a comparatively long piece, especially when' the parachute is being collapsed or packed up.

Now, when the parachute must be made use i -of, it is, for the time being, collapsed or i packed up and must get transformed from this state into the unfolded state. The ring or disk mentioned is, however, able to do away only with the entangled or twisted rope portions located close to the ring or disk, but is unable to do the same also jas regards the i 40 more renote entan led portions which is evidently a' dangerous circumstance.

- The present invention is based on the discovery, also on the practical experiences thereafter made, that for the unquestionably' i reliable unfolding ofthe parachute a devce is requisite which prevents the arising of i twistings and entanglements of the ropes 'on a comparatively long upper portion of the same. Now, the present invention presents 5 asolution of the problem, and this solution 5 4 1ae4-i Germa M mb r i la consists in making the rope spreading rings shiftable along the `ropes. The same is 'true if disks instead of'rings are eniployed;" 'l`he shifting of the rings or-disks 'along the' ropes .takes place perfectly .automatically. If, 'for instance, the ring pertaining to the rop esofa i parachute is located, in the collapsed parat chute, near the parachute proper,the air *caught up belowthe parachuteprper when the' pilot is jumping down'is:` 'suflicient to E .cause the parachute ?to unfold, and the tensionithereby exerted upon the ropes is` sufll- 'cient to cause the ring or disk to move downwardly along the ropes. While the ring or disk ,is travelling downwardly itremoves all twistings or entanglements -that may exist in the ropes, and this 'takes place perfectly automatically until the ring or diskhas arrived in its lowermost position ;in WhChzrt'S stopped" by anysuitable abutine'nt.` i*

The invention is illustra'ted diagramnatically and by way ;of example ontheaccompanying drawing on Which'Figure l is a per spective representation of ai parachute* provided with a rope guide designed according to this invention, the parachute being drawn in full 'lnes in `collapsed state and in dotted lines in expan'ded state. Figurewissa plan of a piece'of a modified rope guide, drawn to a largerscale relatively toFig. l, and Eigure 3 is a transverse section through this modified guide. Onthejdrawing adenojtes theparachute proper, e are the ropes hanging down from it, and?) is thefshiftablering which is provided with bores [d through which the ropes1loosely passm-The ring Z s located upon the ropes about onthe first i third of their length, reckoned fron the para:

chute proper a', and-the freesectional area just below the` parachutef is large i enough to cause complete unfold'ingof the same instantly after the pilot has -junped down.` The angle which the'ropesjor' shrouds make with the ring d (see the dotted lines in the figure) causes the ring to move downwardly,

and it proceeds in this movement until it has arrived at the predeterminedend of its path where there are suitable abutment members (not shown).' While the ring (or the disk, if such a one has beenprovided instead of a i ring) is travelling downwards with greater or lesser speed, according to the number and kind of the twstings or entanglenents n the ropes or cords, these twistngs or ena tangl'ements are removed by the ring which takes place in a perfectly automatic nanner the ropes or cords being retfansformed into v their proper Shape in which they' 'entirety, like a ho'pper.

`Whle the constructionzl form shownin the drawing (Fig 1 is intended -for new parachutes, inthe manufacture'of which the ropes or cords cnnhe pssed through the bors of thering or dik)b, .I hwe shown ;in Figsf and 3 another constrnctonal form ,intended `for exitingiparachutes; Inthis modification the ring is :bipartite 'and 'consists -of two concentricTings-'b and b yof which *joint between them. 'The heres (Z a-re 'located just as 'in 'the non-divided ring of Fig. l. It is -obVions that these ringscwn be epplied to the Topesoficord 'of existing 'p 'a1'2chutes, the 'rn'g ^b being located outside' the -ropes 01' weords 'and th'e 'rng 6 heng located inside of the same; Afterhiving 'been %brought in "p1ace,the :ring .parts are 'connected with one another by' a few screws;

1 chuniz i e r 4 1: In'conibnatonwth a patzchnteend its said cords pass and which 'is loosely -shi ftabie upon the'c'ords, said ringbeing arran'ge'd upon the cords 'remote froni theprahute on about i the first third of' theglen'gth of 'the cords reckoned froni the `pdraehute, suhtantially and for'thepurpose set io'rth.- V

member and an outeimember accni'tely fitting 'onto' the inne one, the complete Ting v having a circle ofbores locatedet the joint betweensad two menhers s'u bstantia l iy and forthepurpose set fort'h. 3. In combination 'with a parzwh ute and 'its cords: 'a ring 'having `b'o`1"es through which said c'ords passendwhieh is l'oos'ely shiftahle upon the cards, "said rin g being"afra nge upon thecords remote'f rom the parac'hutein about the first third. of thelengt h ofthe'co-rds reckoned 'fron'the .par''ch-ute, and t'h'efdi- &meter of the said ring` 'being uch tht'the free sectional 'area of the Collapse&{parahhnte *et the lower "end theifof is 'large enough to 'cause *complete *unfld ing of' the 'same when the &Vizitor is jumpn'g ow. i

- 'Intestimeny wh'eref I my igna'tnr.

KARL TH EODOR look, in th ei1' i 

